Tui do not guarantee pre-booked seats

davylee07

Eventually received the following response from TUI:-

"I have looked into this for you and I can advise your seats have been reassigned. This may be due to families being split up with children, so we may need to reallocate if necessary.

I can advise that you are still seated together for both flights. Please note our seat selection does not guarantee specific seats or seats together, it will only guarantee selection of a seat. Whilst we fully appreciate your concerns, unfortunately we're unable to offer a refund at this point."

This was a strange reply as in the interim I had contacted TUI through their Live Chat (over 72 hours is unacceptable as response time) and the representative had stated that the seats were reassigned as a passenger had a "severe medical condition" and required our seats.

I've asked TUI to confirm the reason and if the reassignment was for "operational, safety or security reasons" as these are the only reasons the seats should be reallocated according to their confirmation email. I also asked their procedure for choosing which seats to reallocate as similar seats to ours were available after we booked.

bradders1983

Establishing the specific reason is neither here nor there now, they have made the change and arent budging, persuing the reason will give you a hernia. Your next step is to ask for a refund for the seat selection as you no longer have a window, or ask if similar seats are still available now.

In any case, both reasons proferred easily fall under the banner of "operational, safety or security reasons"

colcheslad

You probably have the MSE 'family tax' campaign to thank for that, so whilst families get to sit together for gratis, those without kids suffer for it. Nice one!

steve1500

davylee07 wrote: »

Eventually received the following response from TUI:-

"I have looked into this for you and I can advise your seats have been reassigned. This may be due to families being split up with children, so we may need to reallocate if necessary.

.

If it is because of children, then they are complying with CAA guidelines, you are not supposed to split families with children for safety reasons

Nick_C

TUIs response to OP shows they either the time or inclination to investigate complaints and respond properly.

They haven't said OP and his wife were moved to accommodate a family. They just said it might have been.

I think children is an unlikely reason. As others have mention, the seating is in a 2-3-2 configuration. How would moving a couple from a pair of seats help a family? The middle block of 3 is much more suitable to families. Lone parent plus two children, or a couple with one child.

The two people needing to sit together in the window and aisle could have sat together in the middle block.

I think it is far more likely that the plane was changed for one with a smaller premium cabin.

Although selected seats are never guaranteed, even if you pay for seat selection, TUI's response would have annoyed me.

davylee07

I've been unable to respond until now.
TUI have confirmed that the seats should not have been changed however are unable to allocate the original seats. The lady who called me from TUI was very apologetic and sincere however would not give me the details on why the original seats were changed. Accepted their offer of 50% refund on Premier Seats payment.

bradders1983

davylee07 wrote: »

I've been unable to respond until now.
TUI have confirmed that the seats should not have been changed however are unable to allocate the original seats. The lady who called me from TUI was very apologetic and sincere however would not give me the details on why the original seats were changed. Accepted their offer of 50% refund on Premier Seats payment.

So after the initial hysteria of "my wife cant go at all if we are sat in the middle", you have now only accepted half a refund on the allocation and you are still going?

Nothing like an initial over-reaction.